The increasingly deteriorating public security has made Chinese immigrants feel that Los Angeles is gradually losing its former glory.

Every Chinese immigrant who leaves their homeland for overseas has their own reasons. For Mr. Wang's family, the main reason for leaving Shanghai a few years ago was that the lockdown policies during the pandemic made them strongly feel "unfree"; but now, the increasingly deteriorating public security environment in Los Angeles has made them want to leave again, "There is no sense of security living here."

Mr. Wang, who lives in Arcadia, Los Angeles County, recently had his glass window maliciously smashed. It happened when his whole family was near the window, narrowly avoiding injury, which made him very uneasy. "At first, I thought it was gunfire. If hit in the chest, one could die instantly and couldn't be saved. How could someone directly attack another person's window?"

Compared to China's public security environment, Mr. Wang believes that the current situation in Los Angeles is very bad, "I don't seem to have much sense of security. In China, especially in places like Shanghai, safety is very high. One won't be afraid to walk on the streets at night, nor will they experience being attacked by others."

A few years ago, Mr. Wang left China during the full-scale outbreak of the pandemic. Shanghai was once locked down, and the strict closed management made him feel uneasy. Added to this, his wife intended to stay in Los Angeles long-term for scientific research, so for the sake of family reunion, Mr. Wang gave up his stable job in China and came to the United States. However, the new country was not as good as he imagined, "After living there for a while, you'll slowly discover many practical problems, especially the lack of security, which is very important."

This Chinese scientist has been actively integrating into local life in Los Angeles for several years, working hard during weekdays and volunteering on weekends. But the reality has made him feel that Los Angeles is gradually losing its former luster. "In recent years, I dare not go downtown, fearing my car being smashed, let alone the homeless people and people with mental illness cursing in public. I once thought that staying away from the city center would be safer, but the incident of our window being smashed completely disappointed me."

Mr. Wang mentioned that last year, three cases of car windows being smashed occurred at the entrance of his apartment building. "A neighbor's Tesla car had the same window smashed twice, and similar incidents often happen at nearby Chinese supermarkets." He also mentioned that when he took his children to the beach on weekends, they encountered people openly smoking marijuana, which are situations he cannot tolerate.

This new immigrant also mentioned that he and his wife have been waiting for over 14 months for their green cards through the extraordinary talent immigration application. Just a few days ago, they received a reply from the immigration bureau indicating that the case is still under security review. The long process has made Mr. Wang lose patience, "It used to be shorter, but now with the new government taking office, the review time is getting longer and longer." This scientist clearly expressed dissatisfaction with Trump's immigration policy, "To fulfill his promise of controlling illegal immigration, he has now greatly delayed the approval of legal immigrants."

Many factors are accelerating this new immigrant's strong desire to return to China. He said that his elderly parents back home need care; during his time in the U.S., he has come to realize that many Chinese immigrants who leave their hometowns for this place live in financial hardship and have no support in old age. Mr. Wang also mentioned an astonishing phenomenon: many researchers with similar backgrounds around him are considering returning to China recently, "China's recruitment conditions are now very generous, and the U.S. has lost its appeal to us."

The smashing of the glass window at a Chinese family's home has made everyone very uneasy. (Provided by the interviewee)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494481120576750095/

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